Low-cost ale impresses MP

LIVELY brew . . . Phil Woolas MP (left) with landlord Julian Taylor

A GOVERNMENT minister signalled his liking for the taste of an inflation-busting ale called “Mr Brown’s Recession Bitter” and then said: “We’re not in a recession but every little helps.”

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas, the Minister for Climate Change, was visiting the Church Inn, Uppermill, where landlord Julian Taylor runs a micro-brewery.

Mr Brown’s Recession Bitter costs only £1.10 a pint. And when Mr Woolas dropped in for a thirst-quencher, he declared the new brew top for taste and price.

After sampling a glass of the bitter (3.8 abv) he said: “It’s a great pint at a really great price.

“Julian is a splendid brewer and a fabulous entrepreneur. He’s to be congratulated on his latest ale.”

The beer encourages drinkers to have a session in a recession and pub regular Peter Clarke from Lees said: “Everyone who likes a pint is looking for a bargain these days.

“The recession ale shows you can have a decent pint at a rock-bottom price.

“I reckon it must be one of the cheapest beers in Britain.

“And it’s certainly one in the eye for the brewery big boys who say that can’t make brewing pay.”

Julian (41) said: “Phil is a good friend and I’m really chuffed he likes the beer.

“Who knows, perhaps I’ll send a small barrel down to the House of Commons so Gordon Brown can try a pint.

“It might cheer him up in these trying times.

“As it is, I could have offered my recession beer to customers for less than £1 a pint, but the cost of ingredients forced up the price.”

When Julian first began brewing 11 years ago with his father, Michael, a former Lees landlord, he produced Saddleworth More, a mild, for 90p a pint, earning the title the cheapest beer in Britain.